10 facts about aneurin bevan 10 facts about aneurin bevan
[7], Bevan became a well-known local orator and was seen by his employers, the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company, as a troublemaker. Icon of 1960s Britain: Who Was Mary Quant? If we accept the contention that the common enemy is Hitler and not the British capitalist class, then certainly Churchill is right. [45] Clement Attlee expressed his support that Bevan should have been the leader of the Labour Party during his lifetime but was held back by his demeanour, stating "he wants to be two things simultaneously, rebel and official leader, and you can't be both". Photo by Duncan from Leicestershire, UK Wikimedia Commons. His agitations for a united socialist front of all parties of the left (including the Communist Party of Great Britain) led to his brief expulsion from the Labour Party from March to November 1939 (along with Stafford Cripps, C. P. Trevelyan and three others). [117] His last speech in the House of Commons, in the debate of 3 November 1959 on the Queen's Speech,[118] referred to the difficulties of persuading the electorate to support a policy which would make them less well-off in the short term, but more prosperous in the long term. Soon, thereafter became an activist and initially, a supporter of syndicalism. He was adept at construction and added several modern features when the family moved to 7 Charles Street, installing the first gas stove in the street, an inside toilet and running hot water. [105] After the 1955 general election, Attlee retired as Labour leader. [12] Harold Macmillan ended his Prime Minister's Questions session in Parliament two days after Bevan's death by paying tribute to the opposition MP, describing him as "a great personality and a great national figure". If we are going to appeal to force, if force is to be the arbiter to which we appeal, it would at least make common sense to try to make sure beforehand that we have got it, even if you accept that abysmal logic, that decadent point of view.We are in fact in the position today of having appealed to force in the case of a small nation, where if it is appealed to against us it will result in the destruction of Great Britain, not only as a nation, but as an island containing living men and women. [51] He also voiced criticism of trade union leaders, which drew complaints from both the Miners' Federation and the Trades Union Congress. Bevan's reputation as a hard-line socialist typically preceded him: Sir William Douglas, who served as Bevan's deputy in the Ministry of Health, had initially stated that he would "never work with a man like that". When the strike started on 3 May 1926, Bevan soon emerged as one of the leaders of the South Wales miners. At an early age of only 19 years, he became a trade union activist and headed the local miners lodge after joining the Tredegar branch of the South Wales Miner Federation. Bevanism was opposed by the Gaitskellites, moderate social democrats within the party. In the speeches section, we will be building an archive of Bevans greatest oratory including archive recordings. He went on to serve as shadow foreign secretary from 1956-59 and deputy leader of the Labour party from 1959-60. He believed that a civilized society should be able to provide medical care for all of its citizens for free so that anyone in need of medical care, no matter what they earn, can have access to it. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [10] The Query club started in 1920 or 1921 and they met in Tredegar. [113] According to the journalist Paul Routledge, Donald Bruce, a former MP and Parliamentary Private Secretary and adviser to Bevan, had told him that Bevan's shift on the disarmament issue was the result of discussions with the Soviet government, where they advised him to push for British retention of nuclear weapons so they could possibly be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the United States.[114]. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. [69][70] The removal of the criteria of "working class" from local authority housing provision was seen as a first step, widening access to the council housing that was becoming an ever larger part of the UK housing stock and which made up a majority of new homes built after the war. Excerpts from Bevan's speeches are included in Greg Rosen's book Old Labour to New: the dreams that inspired, the battles that divided (published by Methuen in 2005 (ISBN978-1-84275-045-2)). Bevan had been inspired by the Tredegar Medical Aid Society in his hometown, where residents would pay a subscription that would fund access for all of the town's inhabitants to have free access to medical services such as nursing or dental care. We are going to Tredegar-ise you. In 1924, he found a job at the Bedwellty Colliery which would close down in just ten months. He died on 6 July 1960. [62] This system proved so popular that 20,000 people supported the organisation during the 1930s. Bevan and Cripps had previously been threatened with disciplinary action by the party for sharing a stage with a Communist speaker, and all party members were threatened with expulsion if they were associated with the Popular Front. The three won their case, and obtained financial damages of 2,500 each. In his political career, Bevan served as a minister of health in Clement Attlees Labor government of 1945, he was responsible for developing housing programs and for establishing the National Health Service. This was after he had won a seat on the Monmouthshire County Council in 1928. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The latter sale and purchase of goodwill often placed new entrants to the GP profession under large amounts of debt. The manager of the colliery found an excuse to have him dismissed; however, with the support of the Miners Federation, Bevans case was judged to be one of victimisation and the company was forced to re-employ him. Born in a modest family, Bevan's exposure to poverty and deprivation gave him a first-hand experience of unfortunate condition of . 2. Bevan's death in 1960 led to "an outpouring of national mourning". History Hit brings you the stories that shaped the world through our award winning podcast network and an online history channel. A member of the Tredegar branch of the South Wales Miners Federation, Bevan was the head of his local Miners Lodge at just 19 years of age. [87] The Labour MP David Marquand has stated that the savings were introduced by Gaitskell simply to "impose his will" upon Bevan who he saw as a political rival. With the support of the Miners' Federation, the case was judged as one of victimisation and the company was forced to re-employ him. We want the complete political extinction of the Tory Party, and twenty-five years of Labour Government. In Parliament, he became a vocal critic of numerous other politicians from all parties, particularly Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. [72], Substantial bombing damage, with over 700,000 homes needing repair in London alone,[74] and the continued existence of pre-war slums in many parts of the country made the task of housing reform particularly challenging for Bevan. When Labour supported the government's scheme with no such conditions, Bevan denounced Labour for imploring the people on recruiting platforms to put themselves under the leadership of their opponents. Aneurin had a stammer as a child which he would later overcome and be recognised as a great public speaker. In 1955, he stood as one of the candidates for party leader but was defeated by Hugh Gaitskell. [92], Bevan's last decade saw his political position weaken year by year as he failed to find a winning issue that would make use of his skills. After his studies in 1921, he returned home without work as the Tredegar Iron & Coal Company refused to re-engage him. In 1957 he argued that sovereignty would be taken away from parliament if Britain was to join, much the same argument as Brexiteers make today. You can also find out more about the Bevan Society, our activities and programme of lectures. Portrait of Aneurin Bevan. Bevan died from stomach cancer in 1960 at the age of 62. He was convinced that. 3. He wasn't cut out to be a leader, he was cut out to be a prophet". In its early stages this proved true, as the service went vastly over budget in its inaugural year, and Attlee was forced to make a radio address to the nation in an attempt to limit the strain on the system. Contact, Facts are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. In 1934 he married another Labour MP, Jennie Lee. Inspired by the Tredger Medical Aid Society of South Wales, Bevan initiated the National Health Service (NHS), which was managed with public funds and aimed to provide free medical . Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says, "Bevan alone kept the flag of left-wing socialism aloft throughoutwhich gave him a matchless authority amongst the constituency parties and in party conference". In his biography of Bevan, John Campbell wrote, "Bevan's impetuous temperament, undiplomatic tone and reputation as an extreme left-winger combined to make the Foreign Office seem the last place a prudent Prime Minister would think of putting him at any time. When Winston Churchill said that the Labour Party should refrain from giving Adolf Hitler the impression that Britain was divided, Bevan rejected this as sinister: The fear of Hitler is to be used to frighten the workers of Britain into silence. Bevan gained more than twice the votes of Liberal candidate William Griffiths, receiving 20,000 votes to Griffiths' 8,000. Conway was a local miner who had been elected to the Bedwellty Board of Guardians and offered Bevan advice on overcoming his stammer, stating "if you can't say it, you don't know it". His father was a coal miner and his mother worked as a seamstress. Photo by Jeremy Segrott from Cardiff, Wales, UK - Wikimedia Commons [101] He later said that he had resigned his position to "call attention to the fact that their movement was in grave crisis", and stated his belief that he would have been party chairman by the following year if he had remained. Happy travels! It was around this time that he first "reject[ed] his chapel upbringing" and became an atheist. He was first elected as MP for Ebbw Vale in 1929, and used his Parliamentary platform to make a number of influential criticisms of Winston Churchill and his Conservative government during the Second World War. [1] The town was situated in the South Wales Valleys and was on the northern edge of the South Wales coalfield. His new job arrived in time for him to head the local miners against the colliery companies during the General Strike. Bevan was as critical of Nasserist Egypt's seizure of the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956 as he was of the subsequent Anglo-French military response. [127], Bevan's most significant legacy is the National Health Service. Some historians have questioned how influential the college was on his political development. Aneurin "Nye" Bevan PC (/narn bvn/; Welsh:[an.rn]; 15 November 1897 6 July 1960) was a Welsh Labour Party politician, noted for tenure as Minister of Health in Clement Attlee's government in which he spearheaded the creation of the British National Health Service. From 1950, onwards it's been attacked, the reason he resigned from government, but has managed to last 75yrs. They would collect money weekly for any member who needed it. [100] In April 1954, Bevan resigned from the Parliamentary Labour Party, having been rebuked by Attlee after accusing the Labour leader of surrendering to American pressure over a proposed multi-national defence organisation in Asia and the Pacific. [12] Bevan resigned from his position two weeks later, stating both the proposed changes and the increase in military expenditure that necessitated the need for such proposals. Winston Churchill, the target of numerous diatribes from Bevan during his career, commented that Bevan was "one of the few members that I will sit still and listen to". In 1928, Bevan won a seat on Monmouthshire County Council in the Tredegar Central Division. There, he spent two years studying economics, politics and history. We will send you the latest TV programmes, podcast episodes and articles, as well as exclusive offers from our shop and carefully selected partners. Therefore I say to Anthony, I say to the British government, there is no count at all upon which they can be defended.They have besmirched the name of Britain. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. [90] Bevan received unanimous support for his actions from his local Labour constituency leaders. The new Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, appointed Bevan as Minister of Health, with a remit that also covered housing. Aneurin Bevan was the son of coal miner David Bevan and Phoebe, a seamstress. Despite Bevan's criticism of the new party leader, Gaitskell decided to appoint him as Shadow Colonial Secretary,[109] and then Shadow Foreign Secretary in 1956. Aneurin Bevan was born on November 15, 1897, in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, to David Bevan and Phoebe nee Prothero. Hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and subscriber rewards. Former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan ended his Prime Ministers Questions two days after Bevans death with a tribute to him, describing him as a great personality and a great national figure. He became minister of labour in January 1951 but resigned from the government the following April in protest against the rearmament program, which necessitated sharp cutbacks in social expenditures. [28], He married fellow Socialist MP Jennie Lee in 1934, after they met in London. In 1947, Bevan stated "All I am doing is extending to the entire population of Britain the benefits we had in Tredegar for a generation or more. Lee became a considerable influence upon Bevans career. The facts, figures and quotes that shaped the history of the National Health Service . After his resignation, Bevan served as Shadow Foreign Secretary from 1955 to 1959. [120], After a lengthy period in hospital, on 14 February 1960 Bevan returned home and announced he would not be returning to politics in the near future, so as to be able to recuperate and plan an extended holiday. In 1928, Bevan won a seat on Monmouthshire County Council and was elected as the MP for Ebbw Vale the following year. ], In 1951, with the retirement of Ernest Bevin, Bevan was a leading candidate for Foreign Secretary. He developed a severe stammer as a child and, according to his younger sister Myfanwy, became "a lonely chap", due to the need to shy away from the attention it brought him.[5]. They have made us ashamed of the things of which formerly we were proud. Bevan was a supporter of the Liberal Party as a child, but later converted to socialism and joined the Independent Labour Party. The National Health Service was launched in 1948, and Bevan is quoted as saying, No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of a lack of means. [8][9] He and his brother Billy did eventually leave Ty-Tryst and worked at the Bedwellty pit, but were forced to move again after a disagreement with the site's deputy manager over Bevan reporting information to the miner's inspector. Aneurin Nye Bevan (1897-1960) is widely regarded as one of the most influential left-wing politicians in British history. Bevan argues that the percentage of tax from personal incomes rose from 9% in 1938 to 15% in 1949. "[49], Dunbar had been recommended for a commission, but rejected it himself to remain with his unit. Aneurin Bevanand other members were briefly suspended from the Labour Party in March 1939 as he advocated for a united socialist front of all parties of the left. Thus, the responsibility for instituting a new and comprehensive National Health Service, as well as tackling the country's severe post-war housing shortage, was given to Bevan, the youngest member of Attlee's Cabinet in his first ministerial position at the age of 47. Despite resistance from opposition parties and the British Medical Association, the National Health Service Act 1946 was passed and launched in 1948, nationalising more than 2,500 hospitals within the United Kingdom. He was not a cold-blooded rationalist. His remains were cremated at Gwent Crematorium in Croesyceiliog in a private family ceremony. You cannot collaborate, you cannot accept the logic of collaboration on a first class issue like rearmament, and at the same time evade the implications of collaboration all along the line when the occasion demands it.[38]. Pronunciation of Aneurin Bevan: Learn how to pronounce the word Aneurin Bevan.Definition and meaning can be found here: https://www.google.com/search?q=defin. After the war, Bevan was chosen as the Minister of Health in Clement Attlee's new Labour government, becoming the youngest member of the cabinet at 47, with his remit also including housing. A statue of Aneurin Bevan in Cardiff. The NHS was funded by a slight increase in taxes, and government income tax was increased for the welfare state expenses. He knelt reverently in respect to a friend or friend's faith, but he never pretended to be anything other than what he was, a humanist. His influence waned after his departure, although a left-wing group (not under his control) within the party became known as "Bevanites". Lesser-known, perhaps, is Bevans own personal background. With his activism and exuberance, his employer Tredegar Iron Company saw him as a troublesome person but he amazingly became a popular local speaker. He would be studying economics, history, and politics for the next two years while in that school. Aneurin Bevan was born on 15 November 1897 at 32 Charles Street in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, a working-class mining town, where an estimated 90 per cent of the town's inhabitants relied on the local mines for employment. Aneurin " Nye " Bevan PC (15 November 1897 - 6 July 1960) was a Welsh Labour politician. If nations more powerful than ourselves accept the absence of principle, the anarchistic attitude of Eden and launch bombs on London, what answer have we got, what complaint have we got? Bevan was largely responsible for the distribution of strike pay in Tredegar and the formation of the Council of Action, an organisation that helped to raise money and provide food for the miners. He was cremated at Gwent Crematorium, Croesyceiliog. Bevan was also limited due to his desire for new homes to be bigger and of better quality than the ones they were being built to replace, based on the recommendations of a 1943 report by the Dudley Committee, and a shortage of skilled workers to undertake the work. A free health service is pure Socialism and as such it is opposed to the hedonism of capitalist society. Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan (1897-1960) was the Labour MP for Ebbw Vale in south Wales from 1929-60. [133] The following year, Bevan was voted number one in the 100 Welsh Heroes poll, a response to find the public's favourite Welsh people of all time. Aneurin's name is pronounced 'uh-ny-rin'. Bevan also failed in a bid to become deputy leader, losing out to Jim Griffiths. The Labour conference voted to drop its opposition to rearmament. C. 1924. In addition, he is known for his wider contribution to the founding of the British welfare state. A poll in 2013 conducted on behalf of British Future found that the NHS was more popular then than at its creation, and was more popular than the monarchy, BBC and British Armed Forces. Bevan left school at 13 and began working in a local colliery. Bevan attended the local school, where he was deeply shy because of a severe stammer that he developed as a child. Bevan, however, became an atheist. In one of his most noted speeches made against Churchill, he railed that the prime minister "wins debate after debate and loses battle after battle". I. Aneurin Bevan with his eye on the Ball. Photo by Howard Coster - Wikimedia Commons, Portrait of Aneurin Bevan. [102], In March 1955, when Britain was preparing for Operation Grapple, the testing of its first hydrogen bomb, Bevan led a revolt of 57 Labour MPs and abstained on a key vote. He was no calculating machine. He is particularly noted for his tenure as Minister for Health in Clement Attlee's government, in which he pioneered the creation of the British National Health Service. [95] According to The Times Literary Supplement, the book was a "dithyramb with meanderings into the many side-tracks of Mr Bevan's private and public experience". Aneurin's mother was also from Tredegar, but had English roots: her grandfather was from Hereford. The statue of Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) by the late Robert Thomas on Queen Street Cardiff. History Hit Launches on Comcasts Entertainment Platforms in the US. Born into a working class family in Monmouthshire, Wales, Bevan worked in a coal mine as a teenager, and it was through a miners union that he first became interested in politics. Aneurin Bevan Facts: Aneurin Bevan was a Welsh Labour politician widely considered the architect of the National Health Service. Described as "more left-wing than Nye", Lee became a considerable influence on Bevan's political career. Bevanism was a movement on the left wing of the Labour Party in the late 1950s led by Aneurin Bevan which also included Richard Crossman, Michael Foot and Barbara Castle. Photo by Spudgun67 Wikimedia Commons. He was Chief of Staff in Spain, he won the Battle of the Ebro, and he is a sergeant. [42], In August 1939 came the MolotovRibbentrop Pact, a non-aggression pact between the Nazi and Soviet governments that shocked democratic governments around the world. Nonetheless, for the next few years, Bevan was at the centre of controversy within the party earning the nickname Nye the Rhetorician and ultimately gave his name to the partys more left-leaning radical wing, which included campaigning for nuclear disarmament. After eighteen months of ongoing dispute between the Ministry of Health and the BMA, Bevan finally managed to win over the support of the vast majority of the medical profession by offering a couple of minor concessions, including allowing consultants to keep their own private practices and continuing to allow doctors to be paid in capitation fees rather than salaries,[66] but without compromising the fundamental principles of his National Health Service proposals. Omissions? His appointment came with great displeasure from political opponents and members of his party. Later today he will be taken home to Wales. [61], The free National Health Service was paid for directly through public money. His father was a miner and the poor working class family in which Bevan grew up gave him first-hand experience of the problems. The Aneurin Bevan, former Cross Inn, September 2018, This is a photo of the listed building number. Updates? 12. Bevan is widely regarded as one of the most influential left-wing politicians in British history. To support our blog and writers we put affiliate links and advertising on our page. On his return to South Wales he struggled to find work, remaining unemployed for nearly three years before gaining employment as a union official, which led to him becoming a leading figure in the 1926 general strike. [80], At a party rally in 1948, during a speech, Bevan stated: "That is why no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party that inflicted those bitter experiences on me. [111], Bevan dismayed many of his supporters when he suddenly reversed his opposition to nuclear weapons. Bevan was not good academically and was at a time repeated for a year in school. [31] In 1936 he joined the board of the new socialist newspaper Tribune. The collective principle asserts that no society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means. After two years at Central Labour College, London, he entered politics and in 1929 was elected to the House of Commons as Labour member from Ebbw Vale. His father died by pneumoconiosis (a lung condition caused by long term inhalation of coal dust) but no compensation was paid to him, as it was not classed as an industrial disease under the Workman's Compensation Act. [9] The miners remained on strike for six months. Anenurin Bevan, Minister of Health, on the first day of the National Health Service, 5 July 1948 at Park Hospital, Davyhulme, near Manchester. [48][65] They threatened to derail the National Health Service scheme before it had even begun, as medical practitioners continued to withhold their support just months before the launch of the service. He was called up for service during the First World War, and was briefly arrested when his sister Blodwen burnt his conscription papers and he failed to report for duty. Get time period newsletters, special offers and weekly programme release emails. Aneurin Bevan was born on 15 November 1897 in Tredegar in Wales. The Gaitskellites typically won most of the battles inside Parliament, but Bevanism was stronger among local Labour activists. Bevan believed that the key to the war was the involvement of Russia and considered Churchill was too focused on the intervention of the United States. Aneurin Bevan - Powered by, Weapons for squalid and trivial ends House of Commons, December 5 1956, NHS 70th Anniversary and 2018 Annual Lecture, The 2017 Aneurin Bevan Memorial Lecture Professor John Bew. At the age of 13, in his last months of schooling, he worked as a butcher's boy at a local store. [27] Mosley broke from the Labour Party in early 1931 to form the New Party, but Bevan refused to defect and instead announced that he had no intention of leaving the Labour Party. Bevan ended up in a fist fight with a group of miners who refused to strike over his rejection. Like many other students of Bevans class, his formal education ended when he was 14 years of age when he began to work in the mines. Bevan had said "I would rather be kept alive in the efficient if cold altruism of a large hospital than expire in a gush of warm sympathy in a small one". He was born in Tredegar, Wales, on 15th November 1897. Academically poor, young Bevan repeated a year of studies. During the 1926 General Strike, Bevan emerged as one of the leaders of the South Wales miners. The manager of the colliery found an excuse to get him dismissed. [129], A bronze statue was commissioned by South Glamorgan County Council and erected in 1987 in the city centre of Cardiff. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Tomorrow he will be cremated in keeping with his known views.